Mail-bag catcher



(No Model.) WK ANGLE:

MAIL BAG CATUHER. N0. 292,975. Patented I'eb. 5, 1884;.

WITNESSES E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM ANGLE, on WELSH nun, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.292,975, dated February 5, 1884..

Application filed November 26,1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, WILLIAM ANGLE, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Welsh Run, in the county ofFranklin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Mail-Bag Catchers; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is aperspective View of my improved mail-bag catcher, showing it in positionfor catching the mail-bag. Fig. 2 is a similar View, showing theposition when the bag is caught; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section ofthe catcher.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

Myinvention has relation to mail-bag catchers for railroad-cars, havingmeans for holding the bag after it has been caught; and it consists inthe improved construction and combination of parts of the same, ashereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A indicates the side of a car,which is, pro vided with two bails or bearings, B B, in which the endsof a bar, 0, are journaled, which bars form the inner side of a casing,D, in which the mechanism for holding the bag is placed, and which hasthe catcher-arm E projecting obliquely outward and forward from theouter rear corner. A bar, F, projects, from the inner side. of thecasing and passes through the side of the car, serving to raise thecatcher when a bag is to be caught, the catcher hanging down upon theside of the car when not in use. A curved arm, G, is pivoted atits innerend inside the casing and projects with its outer end through the outerside of the casing, sliding in a slot, H, in the said side, and isshaped curving rearward in such a manner that its outer end will bearagainst the inner edge of the catcherarm when the curved arm is broughtrearward. A spring, I, bears against the back of the said arm, forcingit rearward, and the inner end of the arm forms a disk, J, the center ofwhich is upon the pivot K of the arm, which disk has a notch, L, at itsrear edge, which notch may be engaged by a lug or projection, M, upon atrigger, N, pivot-ed at its inner end inside the casing, and projectingwith its outer end through a slot, 0, in the outer side of'the casing inthe inner corner of the fork formed by the casing and the catcher arm,and forced forward by a spring, so that the lug upon the trigger willcatch and engage the notch in the edge of the disk when the curved armhas been drawn forward, holding it in that position. It will now be seenthat when the catcher catches a mail-bag, when the curved arm and thetrigger are thus set, the mailbag will strike the trigger as it isforced into the corner of the catcher, pushing the trigger back, whichreleases the curved arm, which then will spring rearward, clasping thebag and holding it until it is released, when the catcher may be set forthe next bag, &c.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States- 1. A mail-bag catcher consisting ofacatcherarm, a curved claspingarm having means for forcing it rearward,clasping the bag from the front, and a trigger at the inner corner ofthe catcher-arm, releasing the curved claspingarm when struck, as andforthe purpose shown and set forth. g

2. The combination of a casing having trunnions at its inner corners andan inwardlyprojecting arm upon its inner side, an outwardly andforwardly projecting catcher-arm attached to the outer rear corner ofthe casing, a rearwardly-curved claspingarm pivoted at its inner endinside the casing, projecting through its outer side, and forming a diskup on its inner end, having a notch, a spring bearing against the backof the clasping-arm and forcing it rearward, a trigger projecting withits outer end through the outer side of the casing in the-fork formed bythe catcher-arm and the casing, and having a lug engaging the notch inthe disk upon the end of the clasping-arm, and a spring forcing thetrigger forward, all constructed to operate as and for the purpose shownand set forth. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I havehereunto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIAM ANGLE. l/Vitnesses:

M. J. SLIoK, J. CHALMER REED.

